Box2D C++ tutorials - Setting up (Linux)

Last edited: May 11 2017

Building the testbed (Linux)

Let's look at the process of setting up the default 'testbed'
which is part of the Box2d source code base. The testbed is a very
useful tool which contains examples of various features which you can
interact with using the mouse, adjust parameters, pause and step the
simulation etc.

Here I am using a fresh install of Fedora 14, so I might as well start
right from the very beginning.

The simplest way to build the Box2D library is to use the cmake file
which is included in the source code download. To do this you will need
the cmake tool, and obviously a c++ compiler. For the testbed you will
also need the developer libraries for GLUT and an input library for X
windows. You can use yum
to install all these in one go, like this:

Use the following commands to unzip and build it.
(Update: See also david's comment below for Ubuntu

unzip Box2D_v2.1.2.zipcd Box2D_v2.1.2/Box2D/Buildcmake ..make

After this you should see that some new folders have been created, one
of which is 'Testbed' and this in turn contains an executable file
called 'Testbed', so the app can be started like this:

cd Testbed./Testbed

You should see the testbed window showing like this:
Select from the drop-down list in the top right to try out the tests
that are currently in the testbed. We will be adding our own items into
this list later on.

Testbed features

Apart from the obvious features visible in the right hand control
panel, the testbed also allows you to:

Move the view around - arrow keys or drag with right mouse
button

Zoom the view - z,x keys

Grab objects in the scene - left mouse button

Launch a bomb into the scene from a random location - space bar

Launch a bullet into the scene - drag left mouse button while
holding shift, then let go

Depending on which test you view, you can sometimes use the keyboard to
interact with the scene too. We will make use of the mouse and keyboard
interactions in these tutorials.